Leadership

Time for a truth bomb: You won’t get what you want. You get what you tolerate. Harsh, I know, but it’s so true.

Standards that aren’t aligned to your expectations of how you should be treated are a surefire way to limit your leadership potential and leave you working far too hard and in a way that depletes and drains you.

When you cast your mind back to when you first stepped into a leadership role, it’s possible you remember the feelings of excitement and pride, mixed with fear and trepidation.

What’s required to excel as an effective team member is different to what’s required of us as a leader. It involves a massive behavioural shift which, according to the tenets of Emotional Intelligence, also requires a corresponding shift in self-perception and identity

As I sat on the couch this week watching the Queens funeral, I was transfixed by the pomp and ceremony of it all. There’s no doubt the Pom’s know how to create a sense of occasion.

Here we were, witnessing history.

Every day I speak to women who are waiting.
They are waiting to feel smart enough, good enough, old enough or for someone to notice their talent or how hard they are working.
It shouldn’t surprise me… because I remember a time when I was waiting to feel ready for the next step in my career. I had no idea why I was waiting or what being ready would look like or feel like… but I was waiting.

Many mid-career professional women are overly critical and hard on themselves. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that!

They’re great at identifying what they could improve on, but not-so-great at identifying what they’re already exceptional at.

Do you have a tangible plan in place to support you to get your career from where it is, to where you want it to be?

Something that outlines your key priorities, guides your actions and keeps you focussed and on track?

Regardless of whether you are working from the office or from home, operating with an open door policy may seem like a good idea… but is it really?

Being available may have been drummed into you as the right thing to do, but there’s a hidden cost

What springs to your mind when I say the word ‘leader’?

Extroverted? Charismatic? Assertive? Driven? Experienced?

It’s easy to think that in order to be recognised as a leader, you need to have a certain set of skills, or act and do things in a particular way.

If you want to be seen as a leader you must be strategic and work towards the bigger goals of your organisation.

Have you noticed that many women underestimate their abilities and fail to shine a light on their performance? Are you one of those women? If you are … you are absolutely not alone. Here’s how to build the courage to step into all you are capable of.

Being overlooked for a promotion, pay rise or being excluded on a high profile project can be devastating. I’ve seen it rock women to their core, and put a dent in their self-belief and confidence. Here are 7 common mistakes mid-career professional women make that leave them overlooked for promotion.

While 2020 may be behind us, the impacts of COVID-19 on our work lives still linger.

And although this continues to throw challenges our way, it’s also presenting us with many opportunities for personal and organisational growth and change…

After a year of doing our best to adapt to the changes brought about by COVID-19, have you found yourself re-evaluating your priorities and what’s important to you?

Many leader’s calendars are overflowing with tasks, back-to-back meetings and inboxes full of emails. When you’re busy, it can be easy to think that you can’t invite white space into your calendar….

I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about what it takes to create a great team. Not just a good team – but a world class team that work together to create exceptional results…

There’s no doubt that the more senior you become – the more responsibility you take on…

One of the primary differences between a mid-level leader and a senior leader is the size and number of decisions they need to make in a day. As we progress and grow as leaders we will be called upon to make more decision more often with ever increasing impact.

You know you are good at what you do and you’re getting great results. Your team members are engaged, enjoy working with you and you’re building a strong team.

But yet…

You don’t feel valued. You are not getting promoted, and you suspect you’re being paid less than your peers.

But why?

You know you are good at what you do and you’re getting great results. Your team members are engaged, enjoy working with you and you’re building a strong team.

But yet…

You don’t feel valued. You are not getting promoted, and you suspect you’re being paid less than your peers.

But why?

We learn early on in life the rules we need to follow to stay safe, be liked and to get ahead. But many of the rules we learned growing up as little girls and young women were not designed to develop courageous leadership. Here are my top 5 rules to break.

Opportunity Is Knocking.Will You Answer The Call? The time is now! Opportunity is knocking for professional women. Ladies, our time is now. A change has been brewing over the last couple of years and now it’s knocking loudly on our door. Do you feel it? Women all over the world are …

Tied, overwhelmed and plagued with uncertainty! So how can you perform at your best? “What state are you in when you perform at your best as a leader?” I first came across this powerful question in Michael Buntings brilliant book; The Mindful Leader. If you haven’t read it I’d highly recommend …

Can You Really Be Yourself and Succeed as a Leader? Leaders often confide in me saying they are not sure what style of leader they are meant to be. Some tell me that they are completely different at work to how they are at home. While others tell me they have …

Luck… a smart career building strategy Some people just seem to attract good luck… are you one of them? People who are lucky in their career are those who are asked to participate in the most interesting projects, are in the right place at the right time to take advantage of …

How do you approach your annual performance review? Do you see it as a golden opportunity to reflect on what you have achieved, how you have contributed and set your plan for personal and professional growth? Or do you groan and see it as nothing more than a tick a box …

As a senior professional you attend a LOT of meetings. Maybe too many? Some of them may be productive and useful but I’m guessing that there are many you walk away from, frustrated with the lack of purpose, achieving little progress and without a clear outcome or action plan. There is …

Change in the corporate world is the one constant we can rely on. No job is 100% secure. No role will remain exactly the same one year to the next. Cultures change. Corporate structures and strategies change. Boards Change. Executive leadership teams change. And all of this change will directly or …

If you have ever been to an event just for women you will know that magic happens when women come together. We may walk in as strangers but it doesn’t take long to find common ground, share from the heart and connect. At our core women are gifted connectors, collaborators and …

Being seen to be a strong, decisive decision maker is a critical factor in establishing our leadership credibility. A quick and well thought through decision backed by logic, gut instinct and taking personal responsibility for whatever the outcome will be, can boost our professional standing in the eyes of those around …

Do you have clear boundaries? Or perhaps an even more important question is … do you have any boundaries at all? Are you clear on what’s acceptable to you and what isn’t? Do you protect your time, energy and resources and prioritise what is import to you? In a world that’s becoming …

Have you ever wondered what it is that you need to do to transition from middle management to a more senior role? You work hard, you do great work, your team like you but still you are being passed over and senior roles remain elusive. And clearly the statistics confirm you …

You have the title and the responsibility, but are you seen as a leader? Do your team members follow you, respect you and deliver for you? Does the senior leadership team value your and the contribution you make? If you have ever struggled with making your mark as a leader, I …

How you show up at work matters. The type of energy you bring to your work impacts your effectiveness while also shaping your professional reputation. It’s not something many of us give much consideration to, but it can absolutely influencing our outcomes and whether or not new and exciting opportunities come …

How happy are you in your current role? Pretty simple question really but not one we ask ourselves that often. Maybe it’s because we don’t really want to admit the answer. And what does happiness have to do with work, career and being a productive, inspiring, high performing leader anyway? I’d …

There is no doubt that this is a very busy time of the year. There are the projects to complete, end of year functions to attend, shopping malls to navigate and the odd family drama’s to attend to. So I am sure that you don’t need me to add anything more …

Got too much on your plate? Feeling overworked, overwhelmed and stressed out? You are definitely not alone. In our busy world of multiple demands.. at work and at home.. life can get a little hectic at times. And then if we throw in some work travel, extra commitments outside hours or …

Are you playing the game? Do you even know the rules? The game of career success within the corporate environment is run by some very subtle but very important rules. If you have felt that your progress has been blocked leaving you feeling stuck and disillusioned it may be because you …

Who do you have to hold your hand, believe in you, hold you steady when you slip into moments of self doubt, push you, challenge you, tell you when you are off course, clear the path for you and advocate for you in the right circles? …

Are you modelling the types of team behaviours that you want your team to project? I was reading an article recently by AFL reporter David Sygall who said “They say sporting teams come to reflect the personality of the coach. A coach who worries will lead a team that panics under pressure. …

The Accidental Leader is a common breed of leader. They are those people that don’t necessarily set out to become leaders but through “good luck” or “being in the right place at the right time” fall into the role. Some battle along, trying to work out what this mystical new role …

Our world is made up of rules. They are there to provide us with order and certainty and they generally serve us very well. But I am here today to tell you that it is time to break the rules. Well… maybe just a few. Many of the rules we learned …

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have the gift of turning everything they touch into gold? They lead the best teams, they achieve exceptional results and get noticed and promoted more often. And just to rub salt into the wound … they seem have everything sorted in their …

If you are a leader… you are expected to lead. It is as simple as that. So why is it that so many leaders tell me that they are waiting to be told what to do, what is expected of them, what their job role is, and how they fit into …

If we are to achieve an increasing number of women in leadership positions, we need to acknowledge that men and women lead differently, and that it is a good thing. The leadership style of women is collaborative, inclusive, and consultative. They focus on nurturing a strong team environment where ethical behaviour, …

When you think back to your last performance appraisal, did you spend more time speaking about strengths and achievements or did you and your manager focus on your weaknesses and your areas of improvement? For most of us … our focus has been on our “areas of improvement.” This focus starts …

Women continue to struggle to make their mark on the corporate landscape with the numbers of women securing leadership roles sadly lagging behind their male counterparts. It saddens me to walk into meetings with leadership teams to find the disproportionate representation of men and women on the team. A recent Ernst …

At some stage in our career we will all be confronted with the need to have a difficult conversation. You know the type… the type that makes your stomach lurch and has you wanting to do everything but have that conversation. It could be dealing with a customer complaint, providing negative …

Team engagement matters. Successful teams who consistently achieve superior results are filled with highly motivated, engaged team members who approach their job with energy, enthusiasm and creatively. But where do you find these people who willing put in the extra effort, who provide exceptional customer service, who look for ways to …